Face the Facts
Did you know...

  • Over 7,000 American students drop out of high school every day
  • The U.S. is now ranked 19th in the world’s high school graduation rates
  • Nearly one-third of our children in high school are failing
  • Here in Illinois, over 70,000 students drop out annually
  • A high school drop out will earn about $250,000 less than high school graduates

This is a crisis that puts our communities and America at risk. A spokesman for America’s Promise Alliance recently stated, “It’s more than a problem, it’s a catastrophe. Our economic and national security is at risk when we fail to educate the workforce and leaders of the future.”
America at Risk

The evidence is mounting and troubling. On September 9, 2008, NBC Nightly News reported that the United States ranked 19th in the world's high school graduation rates. "The scientific and technical building blocks of our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength," reports the respected National Academy of Sciences.

A report by the Illinois Poverty Summit finds the high school dropout rate is a key factor contributing to the cycle of poverty from which it is extremely difficult for teens to escape.

  • High school dropouts are 72% more likely to be unemployed than graduates
  • Dropouts make up approximately half of heads of households on welfare
  • Three out of four prison inmates never earned a high school diploma
  • 77% of state prison inmates who did not complete high school or earn a GED return to prison

Global Competition

According to Harvard economists Claudia Goldin and Larry Katz, the U.S. became the world's richest nation at the beginning of the 20th century because we educated more of our children than any other country out there.

David Gergen, public service Harvard professor and senior CNN political analyst, stated:

"Generation after generation, children finished nearly two more years of schooling than their parents. We created the world's top research universities. But then we slowed down and others sped up. In the 1960s, the U.S. had the top high school graduation rate in the world; by the early 2000s, we were 19th. Our college graduation rates of young people have fallen into 12th place. To reignite job creation, Goldin and Katz say, we must rise again to be the best at educating our kids...Relentless global competition is here to stay. We shouldn't be scared nor discouraged. That's not who we are as Americans."

Information courtesy of Parade article, "How America can Create New Jobs" by David Gergen, public service Harward professor and senior CNN political analyst.
Your Support…Your Legacy...

Your generous gift will provide additional opportunities for students at risk of dropping out of high school; assuring them and America of a brighter future! Please join us and become a partner in this important project.

Donate
Your Future.

"Great Plains LIFE Foundation is available to help you reach your goals and aspirations, but when it comes down to it, your attitude and actions will determine the outcome. You can make a commitment and work towards a brighter future, or become just another statistic of those who fail to complete school. The choice is yours."

-Director of Public Relations Liz Skinner
and Director of Development Paul Segobiano
Great Plains LIFE Foundation is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.